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Serious Shoujo-ai or Yuri




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hentai4me



Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Posts: 1313
Location: England. Robin is so Cute!
PostPosted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 11:07 am Reply with quote
Right I've dabbled in a bit of light comedy shoujo-ai and yuri manga (often which are neither funny nor romantic...) and a bit of shounen-ai and yaoi many of which are actually good romantic stories.

What I want though is a serious romantic shoujo-ai or yuri story in which the romance is the main point of the plot (or character exploration). I'm tired of the lack of serious (that I can find) stuff...That's not to say it can't be funny, chibi or any of the rest just that iy should attempt to go somewhere. Even better if one or more of the women involved isn't somehow overtly lesbian or doesn't even realise they are.

Sasame Kikoto (sasameki koto?) is about the best I have found so far and that is far from perfect...something like Kare Kano would be awesome...just with lesbians. See Life by Keiko Suenobu, while not actually about shoujo-ai the two main female leads definitely give off the vibe that potentially something could happen and a series that focused on that kind of development would be great...

So yeah...basically a recommendations thread.
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Urd



Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 317
Location: Paris, France
PostPosted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:51 pm Reply with quote
Oniisama e... is a good dramatic and dark yuri without chibi. The different themes are lesbianism, drug addiction, suicide, abuse, incest, violence, divorce, and disease. I think that is serious enough for you.
I didn't like the end of the series but I don't think the end is important, spoiler[what is important is how protagonists will always remember their high school period.]

The plot from wikipedia wrote:
Nanako Misonoo is a young high school freshman at the exclusive girl's school Seiran School. When she begins her first year at this school, she falls into a world of female rivalry, love, chaos, and heartbreak. She narrates the story of the series in a series of letters to a young man named Takehiko Henmi, who she calls "Oniisama" (Brother). In reality, Takehiko is her teacher at the cram school she went to earlier. She feels such a strong bond with him that she asks if she could continue corresponding with him. He agrees, and soon she begins writing to him as a "brother." When Nanako starts her new school year at the all-girl Seiran School, she is unexpectedly inducted into the school's Sorority despite having none of the looks, talents, or background needed to become a member. As the series progresses, she becomes involved in the lives of the "Magnificent Three", the three most popular girls in the school.

As Nanako continues to interact with these women, she becomes attached to the great but troubled Rei Asaka, whom she wants to help, but cannot get close to due her obsession with Fukiko Ichinomiya. Nanako also becomes friends with a beautiful and lonely young girl named Mariko, who is determined to get into the Sorority and make Nanako her best friend at all costs. Meanwhile, Nanako has problems of her own; she is constantly being bullied by her peers due to her inducement in the Sorority despite no having any of the requirements. Throughout these problems Nanako is supported by her childhood friend Tomoko, the athletic but secretly ailing Kaoru Orihara, and the correspondence with her "brother", who just happens to have some secrets of her own. The series chronicles her first-year at Seiran Academy as she uncovers the past of some of the most popular girls in school, learning of love, loss, and her own family's secrets, including her true relation with Takehiko.
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hentai4me



Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Posts: 1313
Location: England. Robin is so Cute!
PostPosted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:13 pm Reply with quote
That looks interesting,

Is it available in English or just scanlated?

ps: chibi is fine (I actually quite like it when appropriate) as long as the story is serious/romantic.
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:47 am Reply with quote
There are a few single-volume josei titles that might be what you're looking for. They're certainly a huge step up from the usual pandering, cliché-ridden, otaku-orientated stuff in my view (in terms of both content and artistry).

Blue by the underground artist Kiriko Nananan (published by Fanfare / Ponent Mon) is an absolute classic - worth buying for the stark artwork alone. No jokes, no chibi, no melodrama - just a bittersweet and realistically messy love story / coming of age story. It's out of print but last time I looked there was one retailer (Knockabout) still selling new copies on their eBay store and, failing that, Fanfare are planning on re-printing it at some point (just don't hold your breath).

Sweat & Honey by Mari Okazaki (published by Tokyopop) is also out of print but can be found cheap through Amazon.co.uk sellers (or at least it could when I bought it a few months ago). It's a collection of somewhat cryptic short stories, mostly with lesbian themes and, again, the (very detailed, very languid) artwork alone is well worth the cost even if it isn't as emotionally resonant as Blue.

12 Days by the Korean-but-working-in-New-York artist June Kim (Tokyopop again) might also be worth a look - it's a serious, poignant look at love and bereavement. And this one's actually in print. For some reason, there are not one but two reviews of it here on ANN, both of them positive.
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asura_wings



Joined: 29 Jun 2008
Posts: 31
PostPosted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:58 am Reply with quote
Maria-sama ga Miteru
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Rika-chama



Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 87
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:04 pm Reply with quote
Simoun is a great shoujo-ai/war drama anime. Although be warned it takes about seven episodes to get good.
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Hikari06



Joined: 10 Aug 2008
Posts: 55
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:46 pm Reply with quote
I also recommend Blue Drop (manga and anime), Mouryou no Hako (anime), The Devil Lady (anime), Revolutionary Girl Utena (more in the anime than the manga, especially check out the movie), and My-Hime (anime; My-Otome has yuri also, but it's presented mostly in a light, humorous way) for some good, serious yuri. Also, the yuri manga titles by Yamaji Ebine, like Love My Life, Free Soul, and Indigo Blue.
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illustrata



Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 37
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:16 am Reply with quote
Seconding Blue by Kiriko Nananan (or anything by her really!) and Ebine Yamaji works. While not exactly focusing on yuri, Kyoko Okazaki's Helter Skelter and River's Edge are top notch manga too.
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irinthony



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Indonesia
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:24 am Reply with quote
Is it possible to read these mangas online? It's hard to get very complete series of mangas in both Singapore - I barely can buy good things in Indonesia as my parents are so pressuring. In Singapore I have more freedom. Onii-samae sounds like a good one so I may want to consider reading it. =)
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